Friday, July 18, 2008

First-trimester asthma flares tied to birth defects (Reuters)

Reuters - Asthma flare-ups early in pregnancy may raise the risk of birth defects, a new study suggests -- highlighting, researchers say, the importance of good asthma control in pregnant women.

Being a student is a challenging and exciting time of life. A lot of changes are taking place, with a lot of stress thrown into the mix. And most students don't have a lot of extra money lying around with which to pay for their health insurance, so it's important that they are able to find coverage at wholesale prices. But is that even possible today? The answer is - YES. Not only is it possible to still find student health coverage at savings of 30% to 40%, it's a lot easier to get this discount than most people realize.

Before I reveal the secret to getting bulk d calcium pantothenate health policy at such an incredible discount, let's talk about some of the ways for you to save even MORE each and every month.

Start by paying your premium automatically every month directly from your bank account. Auto pay saves your company a lot more than you might think in printing and postage costs and they are only too glad to pass most of that savings back to you in the form of a lower monthly premium.

Don't necessarily take the standard 25% co-payment offered with most health policies. A 25% co-pay is O.K. if you see your doctor a lot each year, but if you are generally healthy and only see your doctor once or twice a year then you can save quite a bit every month simply by increasing your co-pay to 50%.

Don't smoke and don't use chew. You know better than most people how incredibly bad for your health smoking and using chew is - and it's also bad for your pocketbook when it comes time to pay your health premium every month. If you're serious about saving money on your student health insurance then you're going to have to be just as serious about quitting all forms of tobacco.

Fast food burgers and fries are killing you. They pump so much fat and so many calories into your system that they are - literally - destroying your body and adding many pounds to your weight. If you have weight issues then simply cutting all fast food burgers and fries from your diet will go a long way toward solving your problem - and losing weight will also lower the cost of your health coverage tremendously.

Increasing your deductible - the amount that you pay out of your own pocket every year for your health care - can vastly decrease the amount that you pay every month for your premium. The trick here is to find the perfect balance between how much you save every month on premium costs, and how much you can actually afford to pay every year for your own health care.

But the really Big Secret to saving a cool 30% to 40% instantly is also the easiest thing you can do. Just buy your policy online.

That's all there is to getting your student health insurance at wholesale prices - just buy it from an online broker.

How can online brokers afford to sell policies so cheaply? Two reasons. First, they have almost no overhead. That reason alone saves you a tremendous amount. But additionally, online brokers have a ton of competition and the only way to stay competitive in a cut-throat environment like that is to cut prices to the bone and then cut them some more.

The bottom line is YOU WIN. Oh - and there's one more advantage to buying your policy online. You won't have an agent looking over your shoulder and trying to sell you things you don't need and can't afford. YOU are in total control when you buy your policy online - and isn't that great for a change?

So go ahead. Get online and see for yourself just how much you can save each and every month simply by buying your student health insurance online.

My Recommended Sites:

The Cheapest Student Health Insurance I've Found Online
Cheap Online Student Health Insurance
Student Health Insurance - The Secret to Saving 30% to 40% on Your Premium

US ban on visitors with HIV could end soon (AP)

AP - A two-decade ban on people with HIV visiting or immigrating to the United States may end soon through a Senate bill aimed at fighting AIDS and other diseases in Africa and other poor areas of the world.

Nutrition is very important when it comes to barrel horses. They should not be fed the same as a horse that stays in a pasture and gets ridden a few times a month. Barrel horses are athletes and need adequate nutrition.

Hay

All horses need roughage either in the form of grass or hay. Some horses may need both if there is little grass or the grass has low nutritional value. Roughage should make up most of the horses diet. Feed comes second and should be used to balance the diet. The best way to determine what your horse needs is by having the veterinarian run blood tests once a year to see if your horse is deficient in any way. Testing your hay is also a good way to know exactly what your horse is getting. Take a sample of your hay to an agricultural extension office and they can usually have it tested for free. This gives you a list of all of the qualities and nutritional value in your hay. From there, take the blood tests from your veterinarian and determine what kind of feed and supplements are needed.

Good quality grass hay is the best hay to use for most of your horses diet. Alfalfa can be fed, but is much citrulline dl-malate bulk nutritional powder in protein and can not be fed in large amounts like grass hay. One or two flakes of alfalfa hay can be fed per day compared to three or four flakes of grass hay. If you choose to feed alfalfa hay along with grass hay, you wont need as much grain. Also, if your feed is a lower percentage feed, like 10%, alfalfa can be fed to make up the difference needed in your barrel horse.

Feed

Feed is a part of a barrel horses fuel along with quality hay. Barrel horses are ridden a lot and need energy and stamina when on the road and when training at home. A feed with 10% - 12% protein is good for a mature barrel horse, but is not adequate for a futurity barrel horse. Younger horses need a higher percentage, such as 14% - 16%. This doesnt mean you need a different feed, but the percentage should be gotten through other natural sources such as alfalfa. Always follow the feeding recommendations on the bag as to how much to feed each horse. Feed should be fed by weight. Each horse needs a different amount of feed according to their weight and performance level.

Feed can be found in the form of grains and pellets. Know what is in the feed before making a decision for your barrel horse. Many feed manufacturers today offer comparable feeds in both grain mix and pellet forms. Plain oats are not adequate for a barrel horse. A barrel horse needs more fuel than plain oats can offer. Choose a grain or pellet with a good protein percentage and one that is easily digestible. Pellet feeds were not easily digestible until recently. They are now made to be broken down easily once eaten. This reduces the chance of colic and other digestive problems. Some horses may prefer a sweet grain mix because of the taste, but can usually be slowly switched to a pellet feed if you find that is the better choice for you.

Supplements

Supplements are very common in the barrel horse industry. There is a supplement available for just about every thing. From hooves and coat to energy and weight builders, supplements can play a large part in your horses every day diet.

Choosing a supplement should be a decision made after talking to your veterinarian about your horse, not using the newest thing on the market because a top barrel racer endorses the product. Supplements that are not needed usually wont hurt, but can get very expensive. Supplements that claim to make your horse a better performer, faster or able to win more are simply not true. Every horse will react slightly different with different supplements.

Providing your horse with a balanced diet is the start of a good barrel racing routine. Good nutrition gives your horse the edge he needs to perform to the best of his abilities.

Ron Petracek - Raised in southern Idaho, Ron loves horses and the outdoors. If you would like to join in and learn from the vast resources at our equine forum please visit http://www.horsechitchat.com Looking to buy sell or trade something equine related? Just visit our huge network and get 12 sites for Free! Click here => http://www.Click4equine.com